Peg for stringed instruments



June 3, 1947.

T. ROHNER 2,421,715 PEG FOR STRINGED INSTRUMENTS Filed Aug. 11, 1944INVENTOR.

Patented June 3, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFF! CE "PEG" FOR STRINGEDINSTRUMENTS Traugott lRohner, Evanston, Ill.

Application August 11, 1944, Serial No. 549,019

2 Claims. '1 This invention-relates to improvements in tuning pegs forviolins, cellos, and otherstringed instruments, and has for itsprincipal object to provide a more simple, inexpensive and relativelylight device for producing an adjustable friction .1 .for tensioning thestring while maintaining the outward appearance of a common tuning peg.

Manyadjustable frictiondevices have been designed for a similar purpose,but they are generally of more or less complicated construction,

with many parts,- was to be relatively costly and cumbersome, and-at thesame time having visible mechanical elements which are" usuallyconsidered undesirable from-an artistic viewpoint.

My invention may best be understood from the accompanying drawing, inwhich:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view of the end of the peg box of aviolin, and showing the end pe constructed in accordance with myinvention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged view showing my improved peg unit removed fromthe violin.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of the peg unit illustrated in Figure2, but showing the unit mounted in the peg box.

Figure 4 is a detail longitudinal section of the peg unit showing theseveral parts in partially disassembled relation.

Figure 5 is a sectional taken on line 5--5 of Figure 2.

Referring now to details of the embodiment of the invention illustratedin the drawings, the improved peg indicated generally at H] is designedfor mounting in the usual peg box I I of a violin. As shown in Figure 1,the peg box includes two spaced side walls [2 and I3 which have alignedholes [4 and I5 respectively for receiving the tuning peg as usual.

The peg unit I2 consists of the several parts best seen in Figures 3 and4. A flattened finger piece l6 having an integral shank I! is made of asuitable light, yet strong material such as molded plastic or hard-wood.The finger piece is formed with an axially extending openingtherethrough in the form of a polygonal section l8 extending the fulllength of the shank I! and therebeyond, where it merges into an annularbore l9 at the outer end of the finger piece I6.

In the form shown herein, the polygonal sectioned opening [8 issubstantially square in cross section as shown in Figure 5.

A spindle 20, preferably of metal, has a noncylindrical outer endportion 2| which fits telescopically into a correspondinglynon-cylindrical opening l8 of the finger piece, a relatively shortintermediate annular portion 22, merging into an 2 enlarged collar'23having an outwardly tapering frusto-conical surfaceflyand a reducedcylin- 'drical inner endfpo'rtion' 25; of approximately the same"diameter as the intermediate annula portion' 2 2.

"the spindle, as by apin 21,"itoform the winding spool for the violinstring (not shown) the "end' of whichis inserted as usual through a hole2B1'inIthe said spool.

A frictionbushingtlll, made of suitable semiyieldable material such asplastic surrounds the spindle in the area of the intermediate"cylindrical section 22, and has a tapered inner face 3| correspondingwith conical friction surface 24 of the collar 23. A fibre washer 32 maybe inserted between the outer face of the bushing 30 and the inner endof the shank IT.

The conical surface 24 of spindle 20 is drawn into frictional engagementwith the tapered surface 31 of bushing 30 by a hollow adjusting screw33, fitted into the bore l9 at the outer end of the finger piece I6, andhaving threaded engagement with the reduced outer end extension 34 ofthe spindle 20, as shown in Figure 3.

The peg unit above described is assembled in the peg box in thefollowing manner: The friction bushing 30 is disassembled from the unit,and is fixed tightly in the peg hole [5 of the peg box, as by gluing.

In practice, the diameters of the friction bushing 30 and the inner end26 of the peg are such that the peg holes l4 and i5 may be reamed in oneoperation, to permit the bushing to fit closely in hole [5, while theinner end of the peg will fit loosely in the opposite hole [4.

When the bushing 30 is fixed in the peg box as described, the parts arereassembled, as shown in Figure 3, and the screw 33 adjusted so as togive the desired amount of friction between the bushing 30 and therelatively rotatable parts of the peg with which it is engaged.

It will be observed that the spindle 20 is endwise slidable, but isnon-rotatable in the finger piece, by reason of the squared shape of theend portion 2| of the spindle, and the receiving hole l8. It will beunderstood however, that these telescoping parts may be given anyequivalent nonrotative or splined conformation for the same purpose.

The bushing 30 is frictionally engaged on one side by the conicalsurface 24 of the collar 23, and on the other side by the fibre washer32,

abutting the inner end of the shank ll. Thus the area of frictionalengagement is considerably increased by the provision of the conicalsurfaces within the limited space available. Wear due to friction willoccur mainly in the fibre washer 32, but an such wear can be readilycompensated for as required by adjustment of the tensioning screw 33.

Although I have shown and described certain embodiments of my invention,it will be understood that I do not Wish to be limited to the exactconstruction shown and described, but that various changes andmodifications may be made without departin from the spirit and scope ofthe invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A tuning peg for stringed instruments, a bushing adapted to be fixedin one wall of a peg box, and having a conical integral surface, afinger piece having an inner shank arranged for endwise abuttingengagement with the proximate end of said bushing, a rotatable pegmember comprising a spindle having its outer end arranged for rotatablebearing engagement with the other wall of the peg box, said spindlebeing provided with an intermediate integral tapered portion affordingfrictional engagement with the conical surface of said bushing and alsohaving a portion extending through said bushing into non-rotative butendwise sliding engagement in said shank, 3

and a screw rotatably mounted in the outer end of said finger piecehaving threaded engagement with the outer end of said spindle to adjustthe friction efiective between said bushing and said rotatable pegmember.

2. A tuning peg for stringed instruments, a bushing adapted to be fixedin one wall of a peg box, and having a conical inner surface, arotatable peg member comprising a finger piece having an integral shankarranged for endwise abutting engagement with the proximate end of saidbushing and formed with an axial non-cylindrical opening therethrough, aspindle having its outer end arranged for rotatable bearing engagementwith the other wall of the peg box, said spindle being provided with anintermediate integral tapered portion affording frictional engagementwith the conical surface of the said bushing and also having anon-cylindrical portion extending through said bushing intonon-rotatable but endwise sliding relation in the axial opening in saidshank, and a screw rotatably mounted in said finger piece at the outerend of said axial opening, having threaded engagement with the outer endof said spindle, to adjust the friction effective between said bushingand said rotatable peg member.

TRAUGO'IT ROHNER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 0 Number Name Date 1,570,600 Grover et al Jan. 19,1926 504,024 Dietz, Jr Aug. 29, 1893 1,548,777 Cuoghi Aug. 4, 19251,345,972 Strough July 6, 1920

